Veneer-corrugating machine.



A. W. DE VOS L C. M. DERING.

vENEERoR'RuG/HING MAcHlNE.

APPLICATION FILEVD NOV. l5. 1915.

Patented Aug. 20, 1918.

7SHEETS-SHEET'2.

VENEER'CORRUGATING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FLED NOVI 15| 1915- I 19276187, Patented Aug. 20, 1918.

1sHEETssHEET s'. y

j n? fr A? Tran/val -'A. w. DE VOS a. 0.-M.YDERING.

VEIIIEER CORRUGAYTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. I5. 1915.

Patentedmjg. 2o, 1918.

47 SHEETS-SHEEF 4. y

A, W. DE VOS '& C. IVI. DERING.

VENEER CORRUGATING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. I5. |915.

' PatetedAug.20,1918.

' ISHEETS-SHEET 5.

- A. w. DE 1v0s @L c. M. DERING.

AVENEER CORR'UGATING MACHINE.

A PmcATloN FILED Nov. 15.1915.

Patented Aug. 2o, 1918.I

7 SHEETS-SHEET 7.

UNTED STATES PATENT oFFi-on.

:ARNOLD W. DEVOS AND CHARLES M. DRING, F MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, ASSIG-NORS T0 CORRUGATED VENEER PACKING PRODUCTS` CO., 0F MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, A

CORPORATION OF WISCONSIN.

VENEER-CORRUGATING MACHINE.

To all whom t may concern:

Beit known that we, ARNOLD W. DE Vos fand CHARLES M. DERING, citizens of the United States, and residents of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented new and useful.

Improvements in Veneer-Coirrugating Mathis character which will be continuous in its operation and`capable of receiving a sheetfoi limp, wet veneer at one end and discharging it in dry, formed.4 corrugated pads at the other end. p

Another object of the invention is to provide such a machine that will shape the corrugations in the" wood veneer packing pad so that each corrugation will have its side walls inclined inwardly toward each other at the open side thereof, and the end corru- ,.gations will thus be capable of interlocking with one another when the ends of the pad v y Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 20, 1918.

Application led November 15, 1915. Serial No. 61,466.

the invention consists inthe veneerfcorrugating machine as herein claimed and all equivalents.

Referring to the accompanying drawings,

in which like characters of reference indicate the same parts in the diii'erent views,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a veneer .corrugating machine constructed in accordare brought together in overlapping relation. In other words, an object of the invention is to provide a machme for producing corrugated veneer packing pads as covered by Letters Patent to Louis F. Flipse, No. 901,334, dated'October 20, 1908,

and No."'1,156,895, dated October 19, 1915.

Another object of the invention is to provide -a veneer corrugating machine comprising interfitting endless chains of parallel forming rods adapted in their movements to fold veneer between them, and traveling together with the crimped veneer therebetween fora su'icient distance to cause the nveneer to become thoroughly dry so that it will retain the sinuous shape in whichl it is held by the forming rods, the formmg rods being preferably heatpd to facilitate the drying operation.

Another object of the invention is to pro-- vide an eflicient means for Stripping the corrugated veneer from the `forming rodsv at the discharge end of the machine.

With the abovev and other obJects in view ance with this invention, intermediate parts being broken away; Y

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of a portion of the discharge end of the machine, parts be-v ing sectioned;

Flg. 3 is a sectional elevation through a yportion of the machine on the plane of line Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation of aportion of the machine at the feeding` end thereof on the plane of line 4 4 of ig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a sectional viewf on the plane of line `5--5 of Fig. 4;

' Fig. 6 is a similar View on the plane of line 6-6 of Fig. 4;.

Fig. 7 is a sectional detail view on the plane of line 7-7 'of Fig. 2, showing the .action of the stripper rods at the discharge end of the machine;

'Fig 8 is a sectional view on the k'plane of line 8 8 ofy Fig. 2;v

Fig. 9 is a back view of a portion of one of the forming chains; i

Fig. 10 is an edge view thereof with the chain links sectioned; and,

Fig. 11 is a perspective view of one of the forming chain link members.

In these drawings 15 indicates a` series of frame sections which are arranged in pairs on opposite sides of the machine' and which may be of any desirable number according .to the length of the qmachine and which may be added to or subtracted from' to vary the length of the machine to suit the particular requirements of the conditions under which the machine is'operated, such sections bein bolted ytogether to forma rigid framewor for supporting the various working parts in mediate frame sections 15 has an upper frame section16 formed therewith, or preferably bolted thereto, and cross girts 17 connect the frame sections on opposite sides of the machine at intervals. The intermediate frame sections 15 and the upper frames 16 have shafts 18 journaled in them and these their operative relations. Each of theintershafts at intervals are provided with idler sprocket 'wheels 19.r Front Shaft housings 20 and rear shaft housings 21 are mounted on the respective end frame sections 15 and the former have iournaled in them an upper shaft 22 and a lower shaft 23, while the latter have a corresponding upper shaftA 24 and a lower shaft 25. These upper and lower shafts are provided at intervals with sprocket wheels corresponding with the idler sprocket wheels 19, the smaller sprocket wheels at the front end of the machine being designated by. the reference numeral 26, while the larger sprocketI wheels at the rear end of the machine are designated by the reference numeral 27. A series of upper and lower foi-minsr chains 28 and 29 respectively pass around the sprocket wheels 26 at the front end of the machine and travel together in lclose parallel relation as far as the,

sprocket wheels 27 at the rear end of the machine, in the meantime being supported by the upper idler sprocket wheels 19 of they -intermediate frame sections. After separating by passing around the sprocket wheels 27 at the .rear end of the machine the chains return to the front end of the machine, the vupper chains 28 traveling on the idler sprocket wheels 19 of the upper frames 1G, while the lower chains 29 travel around the lower idler sprocket wheels 19 of the hand wheels 33 bv which they may be turned be capable of vertical movement.

for adjusting the take-up slides 30 nearer to or farther from the front end of the machine and thereby adjust the tension of the forming chains. A

The forming chains 28 and 29 are adjustable with relation to each other by so mountingr the upper'shafts 22 and 24 as to This is done by journaling these shafts in bearing blocks 34 which are vertically slidable in openings 35 of the shaft housings 20 and 21 respectively, as best seen in Fig. 8.v The bearing 'blocks 34 are rectangular and have parallel flanges around three edges which have' 'a close working fit against the dressed faces of the shaft housings around the openings 35. Between these flanges and between the bottom of the bearing blocks and the lower walls of the openings 35 are comple-v mentary pairs of wedge blocks 36 each engaged by a set screw 37 threaded through the shaft housing whereby the tightening of the set screws will cause the wedge blocks to slide and lift the bearing'blocks 34 with their shafts. The upper ends of the openings 35 are closed bv bearing caps 38 which connect the shaft housings 20 together and also connect the shaft housings 21 together.

The forming chains 28 and 29v are of such length that they are preferably driven at both ends of the machine, though in some instances a driving connection at one end of the machine may suffice. At the front of the machine the shafts 22 and 23 are provided with gear pinions 39 which respectively mesh with a pair of intermeshing pinions 40 mounted on the shaft housings 20, and thus constitute a back gear driving connection between the two shafts which will permit of the adjustment of the upper shaft without interfering with the driving connection between them and the said pinions 39 of the lower shaft 23 mesh with gear wheels 41 mounted on studs on the front end frame sections and meshing with pinions42 on a drive shaft 43 journaled across the machine and carrying a belt pulley 44 for connection with any suitable driving motor.

At the rear of the machine a similar driving connection is provided, pinions 45 and 4G being mounted on the ends of the shafts 24 and 25 and meshing respectively with intermeshing back gears 47, the shaft 25 having gear wheels 48 meshing with large gear Wheels 49 mounted on swinging frames 50 'and meshing with pinions 51 on a driving shaft 52 which is provided with a belt pulley 53 also adapted to be connected with a driving motor. The swinging frames ,50 are pivotally mounted around the center of driving shaft 52 so that the gear wheels 49 may be moved into or out of mesh with the `gear wheels 48 to allow for the adjustment of the take-'up slide, and these swinging frames may be locked in their adjusted positions by screws 54 passing through arc-shapedslots thereof and threaded in the rear end frame sections.-

The two series of forming chains 28 and 29 carry forming blades 55 which extend across the machine and lie close together, actually in side by side contact with each other during the straight line portions of the travel of the chains. To accomplishthis the chains are specially constructed, as shown in Figs. 9 and 10, with links formed-of parallel angular brackets 56 with their outstandwith the contracted central web-like portion locking relation is effected by the separation Levens? interlocked, the enlarged cylindrical beaded edges of each set of blades lying Within the spaces between the contracted web-like portions of the other set of blades," whichinterof the blades as they travel, around/the sprocket Wheels 26 at the front end of the machine and is discontinued by the separation of the blades in their travel .around the' sprocket wheels 27 at the rear end of the machine. l Thel Wetsheet of wood veneer 58 is fed between the two endless chains of traveling"l l forming blades at the front end of the machine and becomes folded back and forth between the interlitting forming blades following thel shape of the cylindrical beads or enlarged rounded edges thereof, and in this'manner iscarried to the rear end of the machine, and as the moisture thereof -is driven off by the application of heat during its travel through the machine it retains its crimped or corrugated form as it issues from between' the 'separating' chains.' of forming blades. In orderl that it may not continue to cling to the forming blades suitable stripping mechanism is provided to separate the corrugated veneer from the forming bladesl as the latter begin to turn around the sprocket wheels 27 For this purpose stripping rods 59 are carried inthe s'paces between the contracted web-like Aportions Aof adjacent forming blades of both' forming chains, and these stripping rods 59 are of.

i f such length that they vproject beyond both ends of the forming blades and only leave the said spaces between the forming blades at the rear end of the machine where they continue their straight line movement for a distance beyondthe divergent travel ofthe chains of forming blades. The stripping rods are guided in their detour from the path of travel of the forming blades by having their ends engaged in'guide grooves of guide strips and propelled through said grooves by means of stripping chains 61, the links of which have outwardly projecting lugs 62 to engage the stripping rods for'this purpose. The stripping chains 61 pass around sprocket wheels 63 which are fixed on shafts 64 journaled in bearings 65 secured to the ends of the rear shaft housings 21. At vthe other end ofV their travel the stripping chains pass varound sprocket' wheels 66 which for conveniencel are mounted on studs 67 of bell crank levers 68 which are fulcrumed on the shafts 24 and 25 and have their longer ends fastened to an anchor stud 69 on the shaft housing 21. The connection of the upper bell crank lever 68 with the anchor stud 69 is with suilicient play to prevent interference with the verti! cal adjustment of the bearing blocks 34. The shafts 64 are independently driven from the shafts 24 and 25, there being a pulley 70 yon one end of the upper shaft 64 connected by a belt 71 with a pulley 72 on the shaft 24 and a similar pulley 70 at the other end of the lower shaft 64 connected by a belt 71 with a pulley` 72 on shaft 25.

The stripping rods' are thus taken by the lugs of the stripping chains 61 from the spaces between the blades of the forming chains and are conducted' horizontally along the guide grooves of the guide strips 60 to form parallel top and bottom traveling walls'` with the corrugated veneer between them,

the movement of the stripping rods from the spaces between the forming blades serving to force the veneer ofi' of said forming blades and into thel horizontal discharge guideway. The stripping rods continue with the stripping chains 21V around the sprocket wheels 63' and backto the spaces between the forming blades 55 and still continue in the guide grooves of the guide strips 60 until reaching the straight fline travel of the forming chains Where they `leave the sprocket wheels 27. At 'this point thel guide strips 60 connect with langle iron j guide strips 73 which support the stripping rods with their horizontal flanges and pre-- vent longitudinal movement thereof with their vertical flanges. T hese angle iron uide strips 7x3 continue. along thetravel of t e forming chainsto the front end'of-the machine where they connect with grooved guide strips 74 which guide the stripping rods in their travel around th'e sprocket wheels 26. During the active i ortion of the travel of thrforming chains fi'om the front end of the machine tothe rear end of the machine the stripping rods 59 are. held' against `longitudinal movement by abutting against flat guide strips 75 which. extend from the guidev strips 74 to theguide strips 60. l i 4 In order that the forming blades 55 may not bendor bow between the sprocket wheels 26 during the operation of folding or crimping'tfhe veneer at the front end of the machine, they are provided with projecting lugs 76 on the inner edges vthereof midway between thessp'rocket wheels 26, and spur wheels 7 7 fixed on the shafts 22 and 23 engage therewith to resist any such tendency. In order to supportv the return length of are journaled across the frame in the frame sections next to theends, and sprocket wheels lli) 79 thereon have roller chains 8O traveling around them, each link of the roller chains having the end of one of the slats of platform sections 81 secured thereto. One of the shafts 78 has a pulley 82 on its end which is connected by a belt 83 with a pulley 84 on one of the gear wheels 41 so that the conveyer or moving platform may be positively driven. The rollers of the'chains 80 ride on angle iron track rails 85 supported by the cross girts 17 to prevent the conveyer from sagging, and the forming blades of the lower forming chain rest on the platform or conveyer and thus materially relieve the shafts 23 and. 25 from the strain of the weight thereof.

Suitable provision is preferably made for heating the' forming blades to facilitate the drying of the veneer during its travel with the forming chains to the discharge end of the machine, and such means may consist of gas pipes 86 extendingv across the machine beneath the rearwardly traveling forming chains at intervals, and alson beneath the path of return travel of the upper forming chain 28.

In operation sheets of wood veneer of suitable size for convenient handling, and rendered limp by steamin or soaking in water, are fed successively tween the forming chains at the front end of the machine, and the forming blades in turning around the sprocket wheels 26 vengage alternately the opposite faces thereof to fold it back and forth in the manner clearly shown in Figs. 5 and 6. Preferably, though not necessarily, the cylindrical bead at the edge of each forming blade of one chain is larger than the space between the corresponding beads'of the forming blades of the other chain, so that the corrugations in the veneer their common side walls converging to cony tract the openings to the grooves,.therebyY permitting the ridges at one end of a sheet or pad of corrugated veneer to interlock with the grooves at the other end thereofv in the manner shown in the Flipse patents.

The veneer sheets are fed to the machine with the grain of the wood approximately in the direction ,of travel so that the folds extend across the] rain, and because of the movements of the orming blades at the time of their engagement with the veneer. and as they approach their straight line travel they subject the veneer folds to a certain degree of ,tension which causes the veneer to be stretched around their interfitting beaded y edges, and the veneer folds are'shaped therebetween as the .veneer dries in its travel through the machine. n

By the time the veneer reaches the rear end of the machine it is thoroughly dry and will, therefore, retain the Shape of the parts of the forming blades over which it has been stretched, not only by the action of the blades as before mentioned, but by the shrinking of the veneer when drying. Notwithstanding its tendency to remain in engagement with the forming blades and follow one chain of blades or the other around the sprocket wheels 27 because of its resili ency when dry, the corrugated veneer is compelled to continue its straight-line travel beyond the sprocketvwheels 27 by being conlined between the moving walls of the discharge passageway formed by the extended travel of the stripping rods 59. The operation is continuous, one sheet of veneer after another being fed to the machine, so that the finished product is quickly and economically produced.

The pairs of shafts at the ends of the machine, around which the forming chains travel, are adjustable with relation to each other by means of the movements of the Wedge blocks 36 to obtain the proper spacing of the forming chains at the ends of the machine, and these chains may be kept under proper tension by the adjustment of the take-up mechanism controlled by the turning of the hand wheels 33.

While the machine of this invention is primarily designed for corrugating wood veneer, it is obvious that it may operate upon sheets of other materials, such as paper or thin sheet metal, to produce the .desired headed corrugations which will permit of interlockingof the corrugations of one sheet with those of another, or the corrugations of one end of'a sheet with the. corrugations of the other end, and the term, veneer as here used is intended to include all such thin sheet material capable of being folded to form corrugations and of retaining its corrugated form.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A corrugating machine for corrugatinv sheet material, comprising a plurality df upper and lower chains having a parallel t-ravelin close relation to each other, suitably operated shafts, sprocket wheels on the shafts around which the chains travel, a series of forming blades connected with the links of the upper chain, a series of forming blades connected with the links of the lower chain, said forming blades of one series having their edges intertting with the edges of the forming ,blades of the other series during their parallel travel and adapted to have the sheet material fed between them as they turn around the shafts, spur wheels on the shafts between the sprocket wheels, and

lugs on the forming blades engaged by the sprocket wheels at the ends of the frame, and chains of forming blades mounted on the^,sprocket wheels and traveling on the chain supporting means in close parallel relation from one end of the frame to the other with the edges of their forming blades interfitting and receiving between them sheets of limp, moist wood veneer at one endof the, machine and discharging such veneer corrugated and in a dry state atl the other end of the machine, the length of the frame and of the chains being adjustable to effect the drying of the veneer under given conditions.

3. A corrugating machine for corrugating sheet material, comprising chains of forming blades traveling in4 parallel close relation lto eachother, the forming blades of one chain having their edges interlitting with the edges of the forming blades of the other chain and adapted to receive and fold the sheet material between them at one end of the machine, and means traveling with the chains for stripping the veneer from the forming blades at the other end of the machine. L

4C. A machine for corrugating wood veneer, comprising means for folding limp, moist sheets of veneer, forming members for holding the folded veneer between them until it is dry, and means extendin the full length of the forming members or `stripping the dry veneer from (the forming members. l

5. A machine for producing corrugated wood veneer, comprising traveling forming members moving into interftting relation at one end ofthe machine to receive the sheets of limp, damp wood veneer between them, and traveling together with the veneer held therebetween during the drying of the veneer, and means traveling with the forming j members for stripping' the dry veneer from the forming members atthe other end of the machine. j

' 6. A machine for producingl corrugated woodveneer, comprising chains of forming blades traveling together with the edges of the blades intertting and adapted to receive and fold the wood veneer between them at one end of the machine stripping rods contained in/the spaces between the forming blades ofeach chain, and means for conducting the stripping rods beyond the chains at the other end'of the machine for stripping the corrugated material Vfrom the Y 'forming blades.

ing sheet material, comprisin 7 .f A corrugatingl machine. for corrugata pair of chains `of forming blades travel-mg together, the edges of the forming blades being en- .larged and the edges of the forming blades of one chain interfitting with the edgeso'of the forming blades of the other chain, stripping rods carried in the spaces betwezen' the forming blades, and strippingl chains having lugs for engaging the Vstripping rods, said stripping chains being so positioned as to continue the travel of the stripping rods beadlapted to receive and fold a sheet ofmaterial therebetween atone end ofthe mac'hine, stripping rods carried in the spaces between the forming blades, a pair of stripping chains having lugs to engage the stripping rods, said stripping chains bein so positioned as to cause the stripping ro s to continue their path of travel beyond the point where the forming chains part atfthe end of their travel together and to'return them to the spaces between the forming blades, and grooved guides with the ends of the stripping `rods tting therein to guide sid. rods in their travel with the stripping c ains.

. 9. A corrugating machine for corrugating.

sheet material, comprising a pair of forming chains of forming blades traveling together and having the forming blades .of one chain interfitting with theA forming blades of the other chain and adapted to receive and fold the sheet material between them at the beginning of .the joint travel of the .ing sheet material, comprising a frame,

shaft housings mounted on the ends of the frame, a pair of shafts journaled in each shaft housing, one shaft of each pair being v adjustable with relation to` the other, sprocket wheels on the shafts, a pair of forming chains of forming blades mounted on the sprocket wheels, said forming bla-des of one chain having their edges interitting with the edges of the forming blades of the other chain, stripping rods carried by the forming chains between the forming blades thereof, bell cranks mounted `on the shafts of the shaft housing at the rear end of the machine, eadh of said bell cranks having one arm anchored on the shaft housing, sprocket wheels mounted on the 'other 'arms of the bell cranks, a pair .of suitably driven shafts journaled on the-,shaft housing at the rear end of the machine, sprocket` wheels thereon, stripping chains pgssing around the sprocket Wheels of said pair of shafts and Shaft lhousings in which the ends of theV the sprocket wheels of the bell cranks, lugs stripping rods travel.

projecting from the links of the stripping Intestimony whereof, We affix our signachains and travelng in the p'ath'of thde striptures, in presence of two Witnesses. 5 ping rods and a apted to cause sai stripping rods to continue their movement in the same direction after the forming chains have turned aroundv their sprocket Wheels Witnesses: and then return the forming rods to the KATHERINE Hom', 10 forming chains, Land grooved guides on the R. S. C. CALDWELL. 

